spiced vanilla pear cocktail

In anticipation of 2021, let me say “cheers” to you with this cocktail. What a year it’s been. Not quite the roaring 20s some of us hoped for, to say the least. I heard someone joke recently that none of us will be writing the wrong year on our checks in 2021 (do people still write checks?). But all jokes aside, I want to say thank you for following along with my recipes this year. Not only was it my first pandemic, but also my first full year parenting so I feel grateful to have squeezed in a few recipe posts during Adeline’s naps.

I’ll be taking a few months off in early 2021 – some of my other projects have fallen to the wayside recently and I’m going to tackle those for a few months. I promise I’ll be back, probably in March or April, and if you haven’t already, please consider following my blog by entering your email address on the home page of my site (the follow button is in a black box on the right side, just click “follow blog”). You will ONLY get an email when I post a new recipe, and your personal info is never shared with anyone. In the meantime, I wish you and yours the happiest new year! Cheers!

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SPICED VANILLA PEAR COCKTAIL

Ingredients for 1 cocktail:
2 tablespoons spiced vanilla pear purée (see below)
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
1.5 oz vodka
handful of ice
2 oz brut champagne or brut sparkling wine
garnish: lemon twist and pear wedge

Spiced vanilla pear purée:
makes approximately 1 and 1/4 cups, enough purée for 10 cocktails
4 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cores removed, and diced
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
heaping 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 pinches sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Make the spiced vanilla pear purée: Add diced pears, water, sugar, cloves, and salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally until the pear pieces are very soft, the water has evaporated, and the pears have released some of their juice (about 25-30 min). Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Purée using immersion blender, small food processor, or heat proof blender. Spoon into a small, resealable container. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Assemble cocktail: Spoon 2 tablespoons of the spiced vanilla pear purée into a cocktail glass. Pour 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1.5 ounces vodka, and a handful of ice into a cocktail shaker* and shake well for approximately 10 seconds. Strain* the vodka/lemon juice mixture into the cocktail glass and stir with the purée to combine. Pour 2 oz of champagne on top, give the cocktail a gentle stir, and garnish with a lemon twist and pear wedge.

The purée keeps well in the fridge for a week or two.

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